I listened to this album for the first time about a decade ago, and I enjoyed it. Have contemplated getting it on vinyl.

I've never been a Floyd fan, though recently I have thought about listening to all their albums up until 'The Wall' (whose radio songs I have grown tired of). Besides DSOTM, the only one I've heard is 'Ummagumma', and it's because Michael Gira said it was influential on Swans' The Seer. I could see it.

Curry Pervert wrote: Tue Jan 28, 2025 6:53 pm

dontfeartheringo wrote: Tue Jan 28, 2025 1:42 pm Also, I feel like the caterwauling on "The Great Gig in the Sky" really goes on a bit, innit?

Probably the greatest, most emotive vocal performance ever made and without a single word spoken.

There's a lot of it, though. A lot.

zircona1 wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2025 8:30 am 'The Wall'

The Wall blows. Even as a kid way into this shit I thought it sucked (Run Like Hell could be cool had they not put proto-80s jangle guitar all over it). Much later I learned it was one, if not the first, albums mixed to DAT, which partially explains why it's so sterile. I've heard Gilmour say similar things about it in interviews but that's probably because Waters had fully taken over by then. Any of the other albums (all of which have some filler) are worth reevaluation above this one.

penningtron wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2025 8:49 am

zircona1 wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2025 8:30 am 'The Wall'

The Wall blows. Even as a kid way into this shit I thought it sucked (Run Like Hell could be cool had they not put proto-80s jangle guitar all over it). Much later I learned it was one, if not the first, albums mixed to DAT, which partially explains why it's so sterile. I've heard Gilmour say similar things about it in interviews but that's probably because Waters had fully taken over by then. Any of the other albums (all of which have some filler) are worth reevaluation above this one.

I won't go so far as to say it blows, but it's been at least 10 years since I've listened to The Wall straight through, whereas I listen to almost all of the Floyd's albums before that on a regular basis. I think I've actually listened to The Final Cut more recently. I didn't hate it.

Anyway, I just haven't had the desire to revisit The Wall. Maybe I'll be surprised but I doubt it.

I really think Gilmour's solo on "Fat Old Sun" was his finest hour.

The Wall really fucking blows. You can tell within minutes that it's going to be a miserable slog the whole way thru. Up there with mid-70's Who for worst music being released by a "classic" name for all the wrong reasons.

Dark Side - there's worse soundtracks to The Wizard of Oz, yea? I mean the album is pretty much just "Breathe," "Time," and "Us and Them," isn't it. The rest is just Alan Parsons swirlies and cash register sound effects.

The "suite" at the end, jesus christ. It makes the album feel twice as long as it actually is. Terrible music.

Is it really the same band who made an actual masterpiece in Piper At The Gates Of Dawn? Well, not exactly, I guess. But at least we have that album, the Syd Floyd singles, Meddle, bits of Wish You Were Here if you're feeling generous and sentimental..

I will vote Bongfuel just because I know they wrote it in the studio, and the experiments they opted for aren't obvious (even if they're dated and goofy now). But that suite is near unforgivable, as boring and as lugubrious as a Thom Yorke cry session. I bet that prick loves this album.

jfv wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2025 9:21 am Anyway, I just haven't had the desire to revisit The Wall. Maybe I'll be surprised but I doubt it.

It's a wildly fucked-out record. They make one of the best records of the 70s and follow it up with The Wall. A massive drop in quality.

AttackChimp wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2025 10:08 am

jfv wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2025 9:21 am Anyway, I just haven't had the desire to revisit The Wall. Maybe I'll be surprised but I doubt it.

It's a wildly fucked-out record. They make one of the best records of the 70s and follow it up with The Wall. A massive drop in quality.

Yeah, Animals is outstanding. No matter how many times I've heard "Dogs", there are still multiple parts of that song that invoke chills up my spine.

Recording/production is superb but... it's boring.

Not a big fan though I could make a nice compilation picking from "More" to "Animals".

The Wall is boring too.

And Dogs is the Jam, the best thing they did.

jfv wrote: Tue Jan 28, 2025 5:59 pm

enframed wrote: Tue Jan 28, 2025 5:19 pm Maybe a rank is in order here.

Would play. Deciding the scope of what should and should not be included might be complicated.

Ok. RANK.

Scope: studio albums from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn to The Final Cut. Soundtracks and live albums are optional. Compilations are out. Ummagumma is in. If you want to include post-Waters stuff, be my guest, but I'm not going to, because this results in exactly ten records.

01. Animals
02. The Dark Side of the Moon
03. Wish You Were Here
04. Meddle
05. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
06. Atom Heart Mother
07. A Saucerful of Secrets
08. Ummagumma
09. The Final Cut
10. The Wall

The first five are very close. The stretch (inclusive) between Meddle and Animals has only two less-than-outstanding songs and they are both at the end of side 1 of Meddle, which "Echoes" more than makes up for.